The Brave and the Bold #29

A thing that lives and fights for its soul! The shambling walking doll that is Brother Power, the Geek has been reborn in Gotham City without a home or purpose! Could destiny have something in store for this seemingly lost relic? And why does his appearance cut into Batman's heart like none of Gotham's strange monsters ever has before? Find out in this new issue from best-selling writer J. Michael Straczynski (Amazing Spider-Man) and artist Jesus Saiz (OMAC PROJECT)!

J. Michael Straczynski and Joe Simon are dramatically different creators, but each brings their own unique and singular vision of the Geek to the page. JMS's use of the tools of the storytelling trade are clever and intriguing in this comic, and serve to make an odd and outdated character feel interesting and relevant again. Read Full Review

As hard as it is for me to say enough about JMS' talents as a writer, I also can't praise Jesus Saiz's contribution to this book nearly enough. Saiz's greatest strength is his ability to craft montages around JMS' narrative threads. We saw it in the haunting last moments of the Flash/Blackhawks issue, and we see this strength demonstrated wonderfully again in this issue's critical opening and closing sequences. In addition to being a masterful nuts and bolts storyteller, Saiz is also capable of crafting stunning individual moments that are as gorgeous as they are emotionally charged. As long as this creative team is on this book, it'll be the first thing I read when I get home from the store. Read Full Review

As appealing and enjoyable as Straczynski's plot and script are, they're not subtle. His point is summed up in one page in the latter part of the book, as he compares typical scenes from the '60s and today and how divergent they are. Ultimately, it's the final panel on that page - featuring a campus full of students who've isolated themselves those around them with technology - that really drives home the writer's suggestion that in the 21st century, we're in danger of losing touch with our own humanity by losing touch with our neighbors. Brother Power's role in the story is to deliver the moral, to tell us that it's not to late to give peace a chance, to come on people now, smile on your brother. Read Full Review

This issue make me thankful for nostalgia, for the lost ideals of times past, and the realization that just because something isn't the next big thing, it isn't automatically irrelevant. Read Full Review

The Brave and the Bold was a miss for me this month. It felt like JMS and Saiz had the right ideas in mind, but couldn't connect them to tell the kind of quality story they are known for. Read Full Review

So far, Straczynski's "The Brave and the Bold" run has been one misfire issue after another as he writes patronizing stories that offer little entertainment or insight. If this is meant to be a modern spin on mismatched superhero team-ups that also instill morals in kids, maybe he is right and we should long for the '60s. Read Full Review